


Up In Smoke

by XachMustel



Category: Heathcliff & The Catillac Cats (Cartoon), Heathcliff (Cartoon), The Catillac Cats (Cartoon)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Character Death, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, tragic backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-23
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:27:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27163849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XachMustel/pseuds/XachMustel
Summary: When a fire breaks out at the Westminster music store and Cleo not only loses the store itself but also her good friend Bush, Riff-Raff will do whatever he can to support her, even if it means leaving the Catillac Cats for good and putting them under new management.
Relationships: Riff-Raff/Cleo





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a two-shot fanfic about the Catillac Cats.

The Catillac Cats dashed to the bright orange glow emanating from the ruins of the music shop. Smoke billowed in the air as a klaxon pierced through the city. Riff-Raff could feel his heart pounding in his furry chest as he ran as fast as his tiny legs could carry him. The thought of Cleo being trapped in that burning building sent a brand new wave of fear through him that he had never in his life experienced before. Pumping with adrenaline, Riff-Raff dashed towards the entrance when he felt a hand yank his scarf back and an angry New Jersey accent yell into his ear, "ARE YA CRAZY, BOSS?!?! The place is on FIRE!"

Riff-Raff stared up at Hector with a look of panic and determination, "Get offa me, Hector! Cleo's in there and I'm gonna save her no matter how much you protest!"

"But Riff-Raff." Mungo spoke up, tapping the shorter cat's shoulder and pointing to a female figure kneeling in front of the chaos, "She's over there."

The figure was none other than Cleo, whose face was streaked with tears as she helplessly watched her home burn. A tear of relief rolled down Riff-Raff's cheek as he latched onto his girlfriend like a magnet, "Cleo, I'm so glad you're safe! What happened?"

"There was a gas explosion and everything went up in flames. I managed to escape, but..." Cleo explained, sniffling in shock, "Bush is still trapped inside and he can't see past his own hair to get out. I just knew something like this would happen if he refused to cut his bangs."

"Looks like I'm gonna have to play hero, huh?" Riff-Raff replied cracking his knuckles before charging headfirst towards the burning music store but before he could take even four steps, one of the firefighters picked him up and restrained him, "Easy there, little guy. You let the professionals handle this job, okay?"

"LET ME GO!!! LET ME GO!!!" Riff-Raff thrashed but all the strength in him paled in comparison to the fit firefighter that was holding him back.

"Calm down, Riff-Raff." Hector reasoned, "You're just an alley cat, these guys are trained for jobs like this."

Wordsworth's eyes filled with tears as he watched the music shop burn. So many precious memories of all the music he bought and the very first place he got his walkman. He let out a soft whimper as Hector looked over at him, "Wordsworth, you okay there, buddy?"

There was no witty rhyme in response, just a choked sob. Wordsworth fell to his knees and hung his head, hot tears running down his muzzle as Mungo knelt beside him. Mungo helplessly watched as Wordsworth's tears left dark stains on the sidewalk, wishing he could find words to comfort his poetic friend but was at a loss. Hector braced himself against the heat of the flames as Riff-Raff cuddled a sobbing Cleo. Everything was going to be gone by the time the fire died down. The instruments, the records, Cleo's bed. Everything. All she could do was watch helplessly as the place she called home burned to the ground.

"It's truly a shame that the shop went up in flames." Wordsworth sniffed, dragging an arm across his face to dry his muzzle of his salty tears.

Mungo rubbed a massive paw up and down the tearful poet's back, "I know, Wordsworth. I'll miss this place, too."

Just then, a stretcher wheeled out of the flaming building and they instantly noticed a shaggy white dog splayed out upon it with an oxygen mask covering his muzzle. Cleo gasped in horror at the sight, "Bush!"

Running up to the EMTs, Cleo desperately tugged on one of their sleeves to get their attention, "My name's Cleopatra and Bush is a very close friend of mine. Please, let me ride with him!"

"Hold on a second!" Riff-Raff chimed in as he jumped out of the firefighter's arms, "Wherever Cleo goes, I go too!"

"And where the boss goes, we follow!" Hector, Wordsworth and Mungo all spoke in unison. 

The EMT let out an exhausted sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, "All right, fine. You can all go. Just make sure to stay outside of the hospital. Only therapy animals and patients are allowed inside."

"Right." Everyone nodded before boarding the ambulance as the paramedics wheeled Bush in on a stretcher.

As the doors closed behind them, one of the EMTs removed the sheepdog's red scarf and handed it to Cleo who took it into her trembling hands. It was a bit charred from the fire damage in spots but she nevertheless held it to her chest as tears dripped from her chin onto the burnt fabric. Riff-Raff sat next to her and squeezed her free hand in an attempt to console her but simply had no words. Hector, Wordsworth and Mungo were likewise silent, sadly closing their eyes with hung heads as the ambulance took off into the night. Not a single word was spoken between the five of them for the rest of the ride to the vet hospital. 

Upon arrival, Bush was wheeled out of the ambulance with Cleo clinging to his stretcher. As he was being transported to the entrance, a security guard held up his hand and halted the emotional she-cat, "Only therapy animals and patients allowed." 

"Please!" Cleo begged, "I need to be with him! You can't just let him die!"

"I promise, the doctors are going to do everything in their power to save him." The guard replied as Cleo stood her ground, "If you need to keep your mind off of things, here's some magazines."

The security guard handed the Cadillac Cats a stack of Sports Illustrated golf magazines, causing Hector to raise an eyebrow, "Golf magazines? That's the most boring reading material ever! Don't you've got anything good like playca-"

But Hector's line was cut off by Cleo slapping him clear across the face. Riff-Raff and Wordsworth just folded their arms and glared at Hector while Mungo looked down with a look of disappointment. In a fit of anger, the she-cat shoved Hector to the ground, "Bush is DYING and all YOU can think about is reading PLAYCAT?!?! Were you dropped on your head as a kitten? What in the world is your problem, Hector?!?! Just......don't say another word. I can't believe I'm even friends with a scumbag like you."

Hector fell silent, blinking back bitter tears from Cleo's harsh remark. Sighing, he discreetly rubbed his eyes and walked over towards Wordsworth and Mungo who were giving him looks of disapproval. A few hours had passed, each minute ticking away. Cleo paced back and forth anxiously while Wordsworth and Mungo browsed through the boring golf magazines. Hector leaned against a nearby pillar, head down in shame. Riff-Raff closed his eyes and lit a catnip cigar, giving it a puff to calm his nerves. He emotionlessly watched as the vapor exited into the night air when a nurse barged through the doors, "Which one of you is Cleopatra?"

All the male cats pointed towards the sole female of the group and Cleo stepped forward to confront the nurse, "Tell me, is Bush going to be all right?"

The nurse sadly shook her head, "Unfortunately, Bush slipped into a coma and passed away. He inhaled too much smoke from the fire and we were unable to revive him. We're truly sorry for your loss."

Cleo gasped in shock. Time seemed to stand still as she tried to process what the nurse just told her. Bush? Dead? No, it couldn't be. No way he could be dead. She fell to her knees and started dry heaving. First the music store and now Bush. The dog was basically a surrogate father to her and now she felt like she had a big, gaping hole where her heart was. She was too wrapped up in her own grief to notice Riff-Raff squeezing her shoulder and Wordsworth and Mungo dropping their magazines in stunned silence. She looked up at Riff-Raff and choked out a hoarse whisper, "Riffy, c-can we spend some time a-alone away from the guys? I......I need some time to process all of this....."

"Sure thing, Cleo." Riff-Raff replied as he rubbed her arm, "Take all the time you need." The two exited the area and turned around the corner of the building.

Immediately, Wordsworth felt tears creep into his eyes again and he buried his face into his paws as heavy sobs shook his slender frame. Likewise, Mungo felt a few tears of his own run down his cheeks. Hector blinked a bit in confusion, "What are you guys cryin' for? He's a dog and you don't even know him like Cleo does! Ya aren't even that close, so just turn off the waterworks! It's so embarrassing!"

Wordsworth abruptly stopped crying and raised his head from his paws before giving Hector a quick, sharp jab to the shoulder with a tearful glare etched on his face, "Read the room, you big buffoon! Cleo told you to close your mouth so you better keep quiet or things'll go south!" The rhyming cat scolded before going back to weeping. 

"Y-yeah! Y.....you big, stinky balloon!" Mungo added, angrily wiping his tears away.

Hector sighed and hung his head in shame without a word. They were right in that his remark was completely uncalled for. Meanwhile, Riff-Raff and Cleo were sitting together on a bench as a heartbreaking silence washed over them. Riff-Raff gazed deep into Cleo's tearful eyes, "Cleo, is........is there anything I could do for you? Anything, just anything. You name it, I'll do it."

Sniffling, Cleo wiped her eyes a bit, "Oh, Riffy......Bush was like......a dad to me. He was always looking out for me and helping me when I needed him the most.....I.....he was part of my l-life. A very, very important part of my life and now he's g-gone.....just like that......I'll never see him again......I....."

Riff-Raff hushed his girlfriend and used his scarf to wipe her tears away, "I'm here for you, Cleo.......everything is gonna be okay....."

Cleo shook her head, "No, it isn't. I'll never be able to pass by that music shop again without feeling a deep emptyness inside of me. I think I need to get out of Westfinster for a few years to help clear my head of all this."

"I understand." Riff-Raff nodded, "What you went through is something I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. You need some time away to heal before you can come back here. If you want for me to come, I'll gladly join you. I'll just need someone to fill in my shoes to look over the boys so they don't do anything stupid. Bright and early tomorrow, I'll go scout the neighborhood for a new ringleader. Tonight will likely be the very last night you, me and the boys will have together. I'm not too worried about Hector but Mungo and Wordsworth are both deeply sensitive guys. It'll hurt for them to say goodbye but it'll be for the best in the long run. I can't babysit them forever."

"Thanks, Riffy." Cleo replied giving a soft kiss on her boyfriend's cheek, "I'm glad I could count on you."

Later that night, all five Catillac Cats gathered inside of Riff-Raff's plane-house. Cleo stood in front of the boys and held out Bush's burnt scarf, "Seeing as how Bush was like a father to me, I think it would be nice if we all shared a story about each of our fathers before we go to bed. I'll pass Bush's scarf along to each of you to share a memory of you and your father. All right, which one of you wants to share first?"

"Me! Me! Meeeeee! I wanna talk about my daddy!" Mungo hopped up and down excitedly, shaking the whole room. 

"Okay." Cleo smiled as she handed the large cat the scarf, "The room is yours, Mungo."

Mungo cleared his throat a bit before speaking, "My dad was ummmmm.........daddy. He and my mommy made me ummmm.......somehow. Daddy and I went fishing for really yummy fish and uhhhh........he was older than me cause daddies are older than you."

Wordsworth giggled a bit at this while Riff-Raff gave an awkward smile, "That was very......interesting, Mungo. And you're right, your father is technically older than you are. Thanks for reminding us of that."

"You're welcome, Riff-Raff." Mungo then handed Bush's scarf to Wordsworth, "Here you go, Wordsworth. Tell us about your daddy."

"Okay." Wordsworth smiled as he took the red scarf in his paws, "My father was a poet, just like me. You could say it runs in my family. We had a real great time, trading clever rhymes. But then one day, my father passed away. I felt so sad, missed him so bad. I wanted to cry a river of tears for about a million years. But then one day, I saw his ghost. He said "I miss you son, your the one who I love most". So I cried in his arms, and I told him goodbye as he smiled at me and wiped the tears from my eyes. It was then I knew, he'd live on in my heart and I knew deep down, we'd never be apart."

Both Mungo and Riff-Raff applauded Wordsworth's poetry. Riff-Raff even paused to dry his eyes with his own scarf as the poem moved him so deeply while Hector snorted and rolled his eyes, "Eww. How sappy."

"Oh, Wordsworth, I'm so sorry, I had no idea...." Cleo replied as she wrapped her arms around the rollerskating cat in a warm hug. 

"It's okay, Cleo. That was a long time ago." Wordsworth reassured her as he returned the hug, "I feel well-recovered, just so you know."

"THAT WAS SO BEAUTIFUL!!!!" Mungo bawled as rivers of tears poured down his face. Immediately, he grabbed the scarf from Wordsworth and blew his nose on it.

Cleo turned to Riff-Raff, "What about you, Riffy? Tell us about your father."

Mungo handed the snotty scarf to Riff-Raff who cringed yet accepted it nonetheless, "Well um.....my father was a very proud cat. I was really closer to my mom than my dad. After all, I was a bit of a momma's boy. But he had many interesting stories to share with me. He wasn't with me a whole lot growing up but when we saw each other, he'd always treat me to some really fun stories."

"Sounds like you had a pretty cool father, Riffy." Cleo replied as Riff-Raff passed the scarf to Hector.

Hector glared at Riff-Raff with a look of disgust on his face "Are you joking me? Mungo blew his nose on that dirty thing. Why on Earth would I want to-"

Hector's sentence was immediately cut short by Cleo smacking him clear across the face, "Hector, stop acting like a jerk!"

"Me? Acting like a jerk?" Hector rubbed his stinging cheek, "You're the one who slapped me, you crazy bitch! Why don't you try looking in a mirror for once?"

Riff-Raff angrily bonked Hector over the head with his cane, "Don't you EVER talk to a lady like that! ESPECIALLY if she's my GIRLFRIEND and ESPECIALLY after she's lost her loved ones. Why are you being such a jerk today, Hector? Is making jokes about dirty magazines and berating others for crying your own twisted way of coping with the pain? It's really in your best interest to take your mind of all this by joining us in this activity and opening up about things. You know-"

"FINE, I'LL PLAY YOUR STUPID KINDERGARTEN SCARF GAME, OKAY?!?!" Hector exploded, violently yanking the scarf away from the shorter cat, "Once upon a time, there was a father who treated his son like garbage and thought he was a mistake. The end. There, YOU HAPPY?!?!"

A dead silence filled the room before Wordsworth awkwardly cleared his throat and broke it, "So.....you had a bad dad?"

Hector sighed and hung his head, "My father......was pretty rough with me.......would yell at me over the stupidest things. Sometimes, he'd beat me with a metal chain if I so much as looked at him the wrong way......it was just me and him growing up so I was all alone. No one to protect me from his anger. So many nights, I'd cry myself to sleep, just wishing for a better life. Often times, he'd lock me in a closet for days on end without food or water. As I kid, I was really afraid of the dark and he'd often tell me about the monsters in the closet who ate bad little kittens. One day, I overheard him talking on the phone with someone about how I was so ugly when I was first born that I caused my own mother to die from childbirth but later found out she just left me in the care of my father cause she didn't care that much about me either. All she cared about was getting it off with every tomcat she could find."

There was a long pause as Hector blinked back the sting of tears, "Then one day......I came out to my father as bisexual. He.....didn't take it so well......"

A tear slipped down Hector's face as he continued his story, "He.....gave me a noose and told me that either I hang myself or else, he blows my brains out with a shotgun.....so I chose to......"

Hector couldn't speak another word as he choked back anguished sobs. Hot, salty tears rolled down his muzzle as he allowed himself to cry openly in front of his friends. Slowly, he unbuttoned his collar and dropped his necktie to the floor. Around his neck was a visible rope burn scar from where he had hung himself, "E.....e....everything......w-went b-b-black.....th-thought......I was g-goin......die......"

Wailing loudly, Hector buried his face in his paws as rivers of tears streamed through his fingers. Immediately, he felt a massive pair of arms wrap around him and he instantly knew Mungo was hugging him. Instead of shoving him off like he normally would, Hector accepted the hug and just let himself cry into Mungo's sleeveless sweater as the massive cat gently rocked him like a crying baby. Cleo gently placed a hand on the Siamese's shoulder and next thing Hector knew, Wordsworth and Riff-Raff were also joining in on the group hug. Hector just cried and cried until he felt like he had no more tears left to shed. He didn't even care anymore about looking weak in front of his friends.

After he calmed down a bit and the group hug dispersed, Cleo handed him back his tie and he placed it back in its original position, covering up the unsightly scar around his neck. Hector slowly wobbled back and forth, exhausted by all the crying he had been doing, "Sorry for acting like a jerk earlier.......guess I've got no excuses, huh? I'm sorry, I just feel like trash...."

"You aren't trash, Hector." Mungo replied, squeezing him in a hug, "You're our friend."

"Today's been an awfully tiring day." Wordsworth yawned with a long stretch, "So why don't we just go and hit the hay?"

"Good idea, Wordsworth." Riff-Raff nodded in agreement with the rhyming cat. 

Suddenly, the sound of snoring filled the air and everyone's attention turned to Hector who had passed out at this point. Riff-Raff smiled at the sight, "Mungo, you carry Hector down the ladder. I don't think Cleo and I can sleep through his snoring. Try to have a good night's sleep cause we'll be up bright and early tomorrow. There's going to be some big changes to the pecking order here."

"Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite." Wordsworth replied cheerily as he descended the ladder.

"Duhhhh.....good night, Riff-Raff and Cleo." Mungo replied, following Wordsworth with Hector flung over his shoulder.

"Good night!" Riff-Raff and Cleo responded simultaneously.

Smiling, Riff-Raff felt warm tears mist up in his eyes as he watched the trio descend the ladder, "I'm really gonna miss you clowns."

With a sniffle, the boss of the Catillac Cats wiped his eyes and turned towards Cleo, "Ready for some midnight cuddles, my sweet?"

"After everything that happened today, absolutely yes." Cleo replied as she planted a kiss on her boyfriend's fluffy cheek.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Riff-Raff and Cleo say their goodbyes to Hector, Wordsworth and Mungo. Heathcliff steps in as the new leader of the Catillac Cats.

Riff-Raff awoke to a loud knock at the door. He looked over to Cleo who was fast asleep before turning his attention to the door. Rubbing sleep from his eyes, he walked over to his front door and opened it. Before him stood Leroy with a bouquet of roses in his paw, "Here, I went out and got these after I heard about what happened to Bush. I'm so sorry for your loss, Riff-Raff."

"It wasn't my loss you should feel sorry for, Leroy." Riff-Raff replied as he accepted the flowers, "Cleo's the one most affected by it. Thanks, anyway. It's real thoughtful of you."

"I think I'll ease up on you guys for a while since you're all in the process of grieving." Leroy said as he leaned against the wall, "The last thing you need is me breathing down your neck while you're like this."

"That's very considerate of you, Leroy." Riff-Raff replied, stretching as he got his signature outfit ready. Putting on his hat, scarf and cane, Riff-Raff set the flowers by a still-sleeping Cleo, "It's nice to know there's some dogs out there who still have a sense of decency."

"So what are your plans for today?" Leroy asked as he relaxed against the wall, "From what I've heard, you're looking for a new replacement and I just so happen to know the perfect cat to fill the role."

"Really? Who told you all of this?" Riff-Raff blinked in surprise.

"Cleo told me just last night. Gave me a heads up that the gang would be getting a new ringleader." Leroy replied with a smile. Removing his hat, Leroy took a scrap of paper out of his hat and handed it to Riff-Raff, "Go to the house this address is located at. The cat living there has quite the reputation. Goes by the name of Heathcliff?"

"Heathcliff?" Riff-Raff blinked, scratching his head a bit, "Now where have I heard that name before? I think I heard Hector talk about him a few times but I never really listened in on it." 

Leroy shrugged in response, "Search me. All I know is that if anyone's gonna keep me on my toes, it's him given his rap sheet. If it weren't for you troublemakers, I'd be out of a job so in a way, I gotta thank you guys."

"You're very welcome, Leroy." Riff-Raff smirked, shaking the dog's paw, "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Really gonna miss ya, Riff-Raff." Leroy sighed, letting a single tear roll down his snout as he pulled the shorter cat into a hug. He wasn't quite sure why he was even crying, perhaps a mixture of Bush's death and Riff-Raff and Cleo leaving Westfinster. Poor Leroy couldn't help but feeling a pang of loneliness in his heart, watching them go. 

"I'll visit the junkyard every holiday, Leroy. I promise." Riff-Raff smiled as the hugged the junkyard dog back.

Sadly wiping the tears from his snout, Leroy released the hug and headed back down the ladder. Riff-Raff glanced back at his sleeping girlfriend who snuggled with the scarf of her deceased friend. Shaking his head, he headed back down the ladder as well and headed over to the Cadillac where Hector, Mungo and Wordsworth were all fast asleep. Mungo was snoring in the back while Hector and Wordsworth were snuggled together in the front. Wordsworth was asleep in a sitting position while Hector rested his head against the poet's lap, rubbing his cheek against Wordsworth's bare thighs. Riff-Raff chuckled a bit at the image but decided not to wake them up after the rough night they had and all the tears they had shed.

The leader pressed on and missioned his way out of the junkyard and down the street. He pulled a map from under his hat and marked the location of the junkyard and the address of Heathcliff's house. Navigating his way through the neighborhood, he passed by the fish market and a few blocks of houses before he turned the corner to a suburban street. Checking the address, Riff-Raff stepped on the welcome mat and used his cane to ring the doorbell.

About a minute passed when a brown-haired boy wearing a sweater-vest opened the door, "Oh, hello there. You must be a friend of Heathcliff. You guys go out and have fun, I've still got lots of homework to catch up on."

Heathcliff jumped off the couch and ran to the front door to be greeted by Riff-Raff. The alley cat greeted him and extended his paw for a shake, "You must be Heathcliff. Pleasure to meet you, I'm Riff-Raff."

"So you aren't here to sell vacuums, are ya?" Heathcliff raised an eyebrow, "Cause vacuum salesmen aren't welcome in my house."

"Well, you see, I'm here because I've heard you've got quite the reputation among these parts. Just recently, my girlfriend and I lost a lot so we'll be moving out of Westfinster. I'm the leader of a gang of alley cats and honestly, I'd rather not bring them with me. You see, they follow Cleo and I wherever we go and she and I need some alone time together. I need someone to keep an eye on my boys in case they try anything sneaky." Riff-Raff explained.

Heathcliff rolled his eyes a little, "All right. So let me get this straight, you want me to babysit your crew cause you and your girl want some alone time. For how long, exactly?"

"About a few years." Riff-Raff responded with a shrug, "Or however long it takes for her to recover."

"In that case, you'd better have a nice payment for me or that would be a no from me." Heathcliff responded, crossing his arms.

"Luckily, I'm one step ahead of you in that department. Got a whole stockpile of canned tuna ready to go. Surely, that would be enough to suffice." Riff-Raff replied with a tip of his hat. 

Heathcliff just shrugged, "Sure thing, pal. But I can only watch over them when my kid's in school. By the way, how many cats are in your crew?"

"Just three. Their names are Hector, Wordsworth and Mungo. Hector's always wearing a headband and a necktie, Wordsworth always wears headphones and rhymes everything he-"

"Oh, THOSE three clowns." Heathcliff rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I guess you could call them friends of mine."

"You know them?" Riff-Raff blinked in surprise.

"Been a while since I last saw them, though. I guess you've been keeping them busy." Heathcliff smirked as he stretched, "Normally, I don't like being a babysitter but your bribe sounds fair enough. Besides, with a gang of alley cats at my disposal, I can find a bunch of new ways to have fun. Things have been pretty stale around here lately. You've got yourself a deal, mac."

"Excellent!" Riff-Raff shook Heathcliff's paw, sealing the deal, "Follow me to the junkyard, then. I've got an announcement to make."

Heathcliff shrugged as the two headed down the street and passed a few blocks towards the junkyard. Upon arriving, they were greeted by Cleo at the entrance who was now fully awake. She smiled and waved at the two, "Hey Riff-Raff. I see you've talked Heathcliff into filling in for the job. It's a pleasure to meet you, I'm Cleo."

"Nice to meetcha." Heathcliff greeted, shaking her paw, "I'm Heathcliff. So you're Riff-Raff's main squeeze, huh? Pretty lucky guy."

Heathcliff leaned over to smooch Cleo's hand but was firmly backhanded by Riff-Raff, "You know, its probably for the best that you stay here while I go talk to the boys. Also, keep your lips off of my girl."

"Point taken." Heathcliff replied calmly as he rubbed his stinging cheek.

And with that, Riff-Raff and Cleo took off while Heathcliff waited at the entrance. As they descended further into the junkyard, they noticed that the trio were now wide awake and relaxing in their cadillac. Wordsworth was jamming to some tunes while Hector was reading a book and Mungo was balancing a ball of some sort of his nose. Without a word, Riff-Raff cleared his throat. The ball fell from Mungo's nose, Hector looked up from his book and Wordsworth removed his headphones as their boss smirked at them, "All right, I want the three of you to line up in front of me. I've got a very important announcement to make."

"Really?" Hector raised an eyebrow, "What is it?"

"Give us the plan, Stan!" Wordsworth replied, snapping his fingers as he jumped to his feet. 

Riff-Raff drew a deep breath. He knew he was going to be smothered with hugs and waterlogged by tears by what he was about to say. He averted eye contact, staring at the ground for about ten seconds, "I........I'm not going to be your boss anymore. Cleo and I are moving away from Westfinster and don't even THINK about following us."

"But why?" Mungo asked, tilting his head to the side, "Is it because you hate us?"

"H-hate you?" Riff-Raff gasped in shock. He felt tears begin to prick at his eyes over the memories of berating the trio but quickly blinked them back, "H-how could you say that, Mungo? The three of you are like sons to me! I deeply love you guys with all my heart."

Cleo stepped in, placing a hand on Riff-Raff's shoulder, "What Riffy is trying to say is that I've been through a lot of trauma recently so it would be for the best for me to distance myself from this city. He and I will be moving away and would appreciate it if the three of you respected our wishes for privacy."

"Okay....." Mungo sighed, hanging his head with a defeated expression on his face.

"So where are you moving to?" Hector inquired, crossing his arms. 

"It's a secret." Riff-Raff replied, "But don't worry, Cleo and I will visit on the holidays."

Mungo was the first of the trio that Riff-Raff approached. He looked like he was about to cry at any second. Closing his eyes, Riff-Raff handed his cane over to Mungo, "Here, Mungo. You can have my cane. Keep is as a memento of all the times we shared together."

Mungo took the cane in his paws, tears streaming down his face, "C-can I use it as a backscratcher?"

"Sure thing." Riff-Raff shrugged, "I can always get a new one."

Sobbing, Mungo proceeded to scratch his back with Riff-Raff's cane as Riff-Raff turned his attention towards Wordsworth who was staring at him like a lost and injured kitty cat, "I'll really miss your poetry, Wordsworth. Out of all the tomcats I've met in my life, you're probably the most unique."

Immediately, Wordsworth burst into tears and locked Riff-Raff into a tight hug. The thought of saying goodbye to his boss shattered his tender and poetic heart. 

"Oh no, Riff-Raff! Say it ain't so!" Wordsworth blubbered messily, big tears rolling down his face, "Promise that you'll stay, promise you won't go!"

Sighing, Riff-Raff removed his scarf and used it to dry Wordsworth's tears away before draping it around the taller cat's neck, "Sorry it has to be this way, buddy but Cleo and I just need some alone time. You can keep my scarf to remember me by. Okay, Wordsworth?"

"Thank you, Riff-Raff." Wordsworth sniffled, lightly nuzzling his boss, "A special gift to help my spirit lift." Wordsworth released the hug from Riff-Raff before latching onto Mungo and crying into his shirt. 

Riff-Raff nodded before turning his attention to Hector, "Hector, take off your headband and let your hair down."

"I beg your pardon?" Hector raised an eyebrow.

"I've got a gift to give you." Riff-Raff replied, beginning to choke up a bit.

"If you insist." Hector replied, removing his hairband and letting his hair down. Much to everyone's surprise, Hector's hair was long and flowing with his bangs covering his left eye, "I usually don't let my hair down and this is why."

Mungo covered his mouth and giggled a bit, "You look like a pretty girl, Hector."

"I'll pretty girl you one right upside your face if you don't shut your trap, Mungo." Hector threatened, shaking his fist.

Wordsworth abruptly stopped crying and smiled at the long-haired cat, "Your hair is so divine, so full of sparkle and shine."

"Whatever." Hector rolled his eyes, "Now what's the gift you've got for me, boss?"

Riff-Raff rolled his eyes, "It's right on my head, dummy. Here, take my hat."

"Y....your hat?" Hector stammered nervously as Riff-Raff handed him his hat. The taller cat was shivering all over. Surely, this had to be some sort of good dream. Tears of joy collected along the edges of Hector's eyes as he shakily raised the hat above his chest and planted it atop his head, "B-but boss.....y-you love this hat so much......are you sure?"

"Looks guys, I ain't a sentimental sap. I can afford to part with it. But.....parting with the three of you is a whole different story....."

A long silence followed Riff-Raff as he trailed off. It was then that he trio heard a gentle sniffling. Looking over to their boss, they noticed that Riff-Raff had drops of water falling off his whiskers and dotting the ground below. Were those tears? They got their answer when Riff-Raff raised his head, tears trickling down his nose and eyes bloodshot from crying. Even so, he had a big smile on his face. Mungo turned to the other two, "Duuuuuh, is he crying guys?"

"I.....I think so...." Hector blinked, completely stunned at the sight before him. Riff-Raff almost never cried, at least never in front of the Catillac Cats.

"Oh my goodness! What the fuck? I didn't know Riff-Raff had tear ducts!" Wordsworth cursed in surprise.

"Wash your mouth out with soap, Badwordsworth." Riff-Raff chuckled sarcastically, drying the tears from his muzzle. 

"So if I get to keep your hat, does that mean I'm officially the new boss of the Catillac Cats?" Hector asked hopefully with a grin on his face.

Riff-Raff couldn't help but snicker, "You? The new leader? Don't make me laugh. I've got your new leader right here. Oh, Heathcliff!"

Riff-Raff snapped his finger and as if on cue, Heathcliff emerged from the shadows, "Heya boys, ya miss me? It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"HEATHCLIFF?!?!" The trio spoke in unison.

"You were expecting Santa Claus?" Heathcliff smirked in response as he approached the three of them, "And considering I'm your new boss, I better start looking like one."

Immediately, Heathcliff swiped Riff-Raff's cane, scarf and hat from the trio and placed them on himself. He admired his reflection in a hubcap for a few seconds before making a face and tossing Riff-Raff's wardrobe to the ground, "Sorry, but this look just does NOT work for me."

"That was very rude." Wordsworth scolded as he picked up the muddy scarf, "So not cool, dude!"

"Yeah." Hector chimed in as he took back his hat while Mungo picked up the cane, "Why don't you treat our boss with a bit more respect?"

"Newsflash, Einstein. I AM your boss!" Heathcliff laughed, casually leaning against their car, "So you'd better get used to me."

"He's got a point, Hector." Riff-Raff confirmed with a nod.

Wordsworth then turned to face Cleo with a frown, "Cleo, you haven't said anything all day. Is everything all right? Is everything okay?"

Cleo sighed, "It's just that.....life's going to be so different for me. All these changes, saying goodbye to you guys and Westfinster."

"But what about your owners?" Hector asked with a raised eyebrow, "They must be worried sick."

"They've got a history of pet cats escaping all the time." Cleo replied, looking away, "I doubt they'd miss me very much or at least they'd miss me a little and get over it in a week."

"Talk about irresponsible pet owners." Heathcliff rolled his eyes, "Good thing you ditched them when you had the chance."

"Yeah. Throw the owners in a ditch." Mungo said slowly, rubbing his chin. There was an awkward silence as Mungo's eyes fell on Riff-Raff, "Uh.....Riff-Raff. You're naked."

Another long silence followed Mungo's statement before everyone present burst out laughing. It was the very first time Cleo laughed since Bush passed away the other day. Riff-Raff's face reddend and he buried it into his paws, "You're right, Mungo. I'm........exposed!"

The laughter only intensified. Wordsworth and Heathcliff were literally on the ground, Cleo was doubled over and Hector had tears streaming down his muzzle from laughing so hard. Embarrassed, Riff-Raff covered himself with the hubcap that Heathcliff was previously admiring himself in. After a good half hour of laughter, Riff-Raff closed his eyes and sadly shook his head. Cleo looked down at her boyfriend before stepping forward, "I want you all to know that even though we may be physically apart, we're still a family. Wordsworth, Hector, Mungo. The three of you are like brothers to me. I'll deeply miss all of you but I feel like I need to open up a new chapter in my life. I'll never forget about all the crazy adventures we had together."

Cleo walked up to Mungo, Wordsworth and Hector and gave each one a hug. At this point, the only dry pair of eyes in the junkyard were Heathcliff's as all five Catillac Cats joined each other in an emotional group hug. At some point during this, Leroy crept in and joined them so they happily welcomed the junkyard dog into the hug. About 10 minutes had passed before the hug dispersed. Cleo smiled at everyone despite the tears wetting her face. Riff-Raff smiled at his taller girlfriend and placed his hand in hers, "The carriage awaits, my sweet."

Drying her eyes, Cleo nodded, "We'll be back in a couple of weeks for Bush's funeral. All of you are invited, considering we're all friends."

"Yeah, cause there's nothing quite like the death of a loved one to bring us all together." Hector replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes but was hit by a firm punch to the arm, courtesy of Wordsworth. Leroy just smiled at Wordsworth and gave him a high five for putting Hector in his place.

And with that, a now naked Riff-Raff alongside Cleo waved goodbye to their friends before exiting the junkyard. Heathcliff, Hector, Wordsworth, Mungo and Leroy watched the two board the taxi and haul out to the airport. Mungo sadly hung his head, "Gee, it sure won't be the same without Riff-Raff and Cleo around."

"Look on the bright side, boys." Heathcliff smirked, "You've always got me to keep you company."

"You must be Heathcliff. I'm Leroy." The junkyard dog greeted the orange cat.

"Nice to meetcha. Just remember to brace yourself for the hell I'm about to raise." Heathcliff warned with a wink.

Immediately, the Catillac Cat trio fainted in unison which left Leroy scratching his head, "What's with them?"

"Oh, you could just say that we're old friends." Heathcliff responded before going into his signature laugh.

The end.


End file.
